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About Me

Stewart StevensonBanffshire, Scotland

Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - Bell Baxter - and then studied Mathematics at the University of Aberdeen, graduating with a modest degree in 1969. That's also the year Sandra & I married. Her family comes from the North East.

Thirty years later I retired from Bank of Scotland as Director of Technology Innovation and was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2001 as member for Banff & Buchan having first joined the SNP in 1961.

I am a Fellow of The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, a Member at The Institution of Engineering and Technology, a Professional Member of the Association for Computing Machinery, a Member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists and an Associate Member of the Highland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association.

14 November 2016

Mr Stevenson spoke during a Parliamentary debate where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and training strategies were discussed. He highlighted the contribution of women to computing and emphasised the importance of establishing a culture more comfortable with numeracy.

"The great heroes of computing are mostly female. I don't think that is talked about enough. It was a women that developed the first algorithm for computer programming, a Miss Ada Lovelace. And more recently Rear Admiral, Grace Hopper, another women, created the method we use to develop computer programmes. If we are going to make progress in our STEM strategies, we need a holistic view which encourages and recognises the important contribution women have made to the field.

"Overall, the key to any STEM strategy is making sure parents and families create a number-friendly environment at home. Families have a huge role to play in a child's attitude towards numbers. Families should make numbers and science enjoyable — I know from experience with my four-year-old goddaughter, that it works.

"The essential point that we need to realise is that we are trying to encourage questioning minds. I want to see successful, happy, engaged people in STEM subjects. If we each contribute, individually, as parents, and as families – we will make substantial progress towards our goal. I hope our final strategy reflects that."